FUND OUR WORK

UniCycle is a volunteer-led organization that prides itself on running primarily on donations of “outgrown, not worn out” school clothing, volunteer hours, community partners and a unique relationship with the Homeless Education Resource Office and Metro Nashville Public Schools. However, we need your financial support to sustain the progress we’ve made over the last seven years, and to grow into new ways to support families experiencing homelessness. UniCycle currently meets about 90% of uniform needs for HERO students and distributed more than 22,000 items in the last school year.

We’ve expanded in 2023 to deepen our support of HERO families with the launch of the HERO Family Fund. This $10,000 initiative will provide funds on a quarterly basis to existing HERO family outreach specialists, who will be able to provide access to critical, immediate needs for families. Items purchased in our pilot of this effort included emergency medication, supplies to allow a father to start a new job, and transportation assistance for families to receive support from other agencies in the fields of employment, healthcare, legal and housing services.

A financial contribution to UniCycle means:

  • Abundant options of school clothing for students experiencing homelessness – items that fit and “fit in”
  • A full UniCycle Closet in schools for any student who needs a few extra items
  • Hours of work saved for social workers, counselors and other student support staff who can serve student needs seamlessly through a UniCycle Closet or with a phone call to us
  • A part-time worker in our warehouse to keep things moving in and out quickly, and to provide one “shopping” day per week for school support staff and UniCycle Coordinators to shop for students or their closets
  • An easy way for the community to support our MNPS family with existing resources – from Scout Troop projects to coat collections with community partners and fun initiatives with local businesses
  • Fewer students spending a day in in-school suspension for being out of dress code
  • A decrease in chronic absenteeism due to lack of school uniform clothing
  • A relief for parents with tight budgets and growing children
  • Tens of thousands of items of clothing re-homed to their next best life rather than taking up space in a landfill
  • A feeling of community among students and parents – Nashville families supporting Nashville families
  • a full HERO Family Fund to meet critical, immediate needs that aren’t readily covered by other agencies for families

Thank you for your support. We’d love to discuss other ways to partner – please reach out!